BS Yeddyurappa, Karnataka chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party, on Tuesday said it would be better if the ruling Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance in the state dissolved the state assembly and goes for fresh elections, even as he ruled out the possibility of any BJP MLA switching sides to join the Congress-JD(S) alliance.

"In 177 assembly constituencies (out of 224), we are in number one place, we have won 25 Lok sabha constituencies (out of 28)... (It would be) better if they dissolve the assembly and go for fresh elections...we will welcome (the decision)," Yeddyurappa said.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Yeddyurappa asserted not even a single BJP MLA will go to the Congress-JD(S) alliance, as is being claimed by those parties. "I'm not bothered....it is impossible, they are saying such thing to create confusion," he said.

Leaders of the Congress-JD(S) alliance, which faced a rout in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections amid growing discontent within party ranks, fear the BJP may poach their MLAs—taking advantage of the situation.

Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy has swung into action and is personally meeting disgruntled MLAs, mainly from the Congress and is making attempts to pacify them.

Rebel Congress MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has allegedly been in touch with the BJP for some time, had threatened to resign from the party along with a few other MLAs after the Lok Sabha elections. Any such move would put in danger the coalition’s majority in the Karnataka Assembly.

The BJP, meanwhile, has predicted the collapse of the coalition and increase in its tally in the Karnataka Assembly after the Lok Sabha election results, claiming that 20-odd Congress MLAs are unhappy and may take a decision anytime.

Not willing to give any direct response to a question about the BJP forming the next Karnataka government, Yeddyurappa said: "We will wait and see the atmosphere...and will take appropriate decision at an appropriate time."

Though Karnataka BJP leaders were upbeat about the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) alliance after the Lok Sabha election results, the party's central leadership is said to have asked the state leadership not to make any immediate attempts to topple the government, party sources said.

According to the sources, the Karnataka BJP leadership has been asked to wait till Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet is sworn in, as any move at this juncture would send a wrong message.

Out of the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, the BJP has 105 MLAs, Congress 78 and the JD(S) 37.